Frightened fish

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RandomWiktor

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Ok, I brought a betta home earlier in the week because he was literally on his side in the bottom of a cup at a store, with a rock pinning his fins, breathing really heavy. He's very emaciated and weak, though he has no fungus/ick/visible parasites/etc. He did nothing but lie on his side the first day, but with a heated tank and some liquid food (had to stop though as it messes the water so quick), he is perking up. However, he spend the whole day hiding, runs away when I try to put food in for him, thrashes against the tank at any loud noise, and is generally a nervous wreck. If he doesn't start eating soon, I'm afriad I'll lose him after trying to help him out. I tried putting a cardboard "fence" around his tank, but he's still too afriad to come to the surface for food, and by the time he calms down, the food has sunken.
ANY idea on how I can help this guy? Something to calm him down, foods that will float longer, foods that I can put right on the plants where he hides? I didn't expect him to make it with the shape he was in, but now that he's feeling a little better I don't want him to die just because he's too afriad to eat.
 
The plants you have in there should help him feel a bit for comfortable (at least he can kind of "hide" behind it for some security). Also, what kind of food are you trying to feed him now? Usually those floating pellets such as Hikari Bio Gold will float for abit.

Good luck with him!
 
That happened to my first betta. Is he in an area of high traffic? (i.e. living room). Because if he is, he should eventually get used to movement outside his tank/jar. But for now keep him in a low traffic area so he can get used to his tank before he can get used to his surrouding enviorment. You can also try to let him flare with a neighbor or a mirror to raise his sprirts. My first betta didn't eat till after 6 days. But he soon gave in and starting eating. Good luck!
 
Adding Black Water Extract (e.g. Kent® Black Water Extract, Tetra® Blackwater Extract) or a Ketapang (Indian Almond) Leaf to the water can help bettas relief stress and put them in a more relaxed mood.
 
Maybe your tank is too big for him right now. :) He get used in a small container. Anyway, he will be ok not for eating. :) Makesure don't cloud the water or poluting with food. Take out the food if he don't want to eat.
 
I"ve read that betta's can go up to a month without eating. Maybe you should try giving him some frozen blood worms...those seem to be hard to resist. :thumbs:
 
I tried live blood worms even, he wouldn't touch it. I'm trying to keep his aquarium light off, and he is in a very low traffic area of the house. He is not hiding quite as much, but he's still swimming away in terror and smacking against the aquarium walls whenever I go to feed him ::sighs:: I guess he just needs some time.
 
AQUMEDI® MultiVit (product of Germany) is one of the products developed for helping stressed fish and for increasing their appetite. It is a liquid multivitamin supplement suitable for both fresh and saltwater aquariums. Contains Vitamins A, C, E and B Complex.

Edit: I use it to vitaminized live brine shrimps (Artemia) before feeding. It can also be added to the fish's water in the evening (because B Complex vitamins are sensitive to light). See if this product (or anything similar) is available at the LFS.
 

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The LFS was feeding them BettaBites, which is what I feed mine in addition to live and frozen foods. However... good news on the fish. While it continues to be very fearful, he ate his first bite of food today. He only would eat one pellet before he ran off to hide again, but that is a start. Throughout the course of the day, I'll try to see if he'll eat a few more. Thanks for all of the tips, and I'm def. going to go see if I can find that vitamin or something similar for future bettas, as many of the "hospice bettas" I end up with aren't keen on eating; "Tiny Tim" didn't eat for over a week, not good for a fishie battling severe fin rot.

I'm wondering, can not eating when they're young like that stunt growth? Tim is, and always has been, the same size he was when I got him (though now he actually has fins). My other bettas all got significantly larger, and I'm wondering if the rough start has left him a bit undersized?
 

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